cover image Look

Look

Fiona Woodcock. Greenwillow, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-264455-8

Beginning with the title, this picture-book compendium of words with double oo’s finds visual fun in the letters’ shapes. On the first page, two fried eggs fill in the middle letters of food, while a speeding car’s tires represent the oo’s in zoom on the next spread. There’s no narrative, but each scene offers an intriguing scenario, and recurring characters—two children, perhaps siblings—provide continuity as they visit a zoo (their faces form the oo’s in hooray), enjoy ice cream (the round top of a luscious cone appears in scoop), and head home for a bath and bedtime (two teddy bears form the oo’s in good night). The story elements may be slight, but vibrantly colored illustrations by Woodcock (Hiding Heidi), made with hand-cut stencils and printing techniques, burst with playful energy. Taken together, the scenes create an appealing visual game that will encourage kids to think about word patterns and, perhaps, draw their own spin-offs. Ages 4–8. [em](July) [/em]